I was driving my car the other day, and because it’s what I do, I was thinking about basketball. Blake Griffin popped into my head and I kept thinking about the way he moved. Not in a way that would lead me to say “pause,” but in an on-the-court-that-guy-is-a-beast type of way. Driving mindlessly, I finally figured out how to describe Griffin’s absurd athleticism and fluid movements.

Do you remember the scene in The Matrix, when Neo first fights Morpheus in a simulation? The other people — Trinity, Tank and whoever else — are watching on a computer monitor and one of them, amazed by Neo, says something like, “He moves like them.” That’s how I feel when I watch Blake Griffin. He’s 6’10″, 250 lbs. of pure power and strength, but he moves like them. Kind of like Finkle is Einhorn, Blake Griffin is Neo. Neo is Blake Griffin.

The bird’s don’t fly without Griffin’s permission. He’s probably in the sky, flying with the fishes. Or maybe in the ocean, swimming with the pigeons. You see, Blake Griffin’s world is different. The sky is the limit.

If Blake Griffin keeps making ridiculous highlights every game, I might have to rename this the Griffin Reel of the Day. He outdoes himself every night. For the first time since Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson tapped their heads after every big play, the Clippers have hope. Of course, it’s the Clippers. Griffin won’t last until November before needing microfacture surgery.

After the jump, Rajon Rondo’s over-the-head pass creates “a new gender of passing… yeah!” Read more »

1. Ray Allen on Shaq: “Just watching him and being around him, he’s still got a lot of passion for the game of basketball. The one thing I learned early is to get out of his way. He’s moving around well. He’s still getting up and blocking shots. I expect big things out of him. I think we’re going to ask him to do a lot for us.” All I ask is for a little effort — just a little — defending pick-and-rolls.
2. Ray on the team’s mentality going into training camp: “We kind of know what we’re made of as a team and as individuals. Now, when we talk about urgency, right now for us it’s preparation, commitment to the process.”That urgency will take shape as we get deeper into the season,” Allen said. “Right now, it’s a building process. Nothing’s guaranteed. We can’t come into this thinking that it’s going to make itself, it’s going to shape itself.”
3. Rajon Rondo, you know how I know you’re gay? Shaq kissed you on the cheek and you feigned breathlessness.
4. If Doc Rivers had left, said Paul Pierce, “we probably would have seen rebuilding here.” Thank you, lord, for blessing us with Doc’s return. Rebuilding is the mother of suck.
5. Semih Erden: “It was my dream to play with Shaq one day.”
6. Shaq interviewed with WEEI, saying he would have played for the Celtics for free if he had to. While discussing his season with the Cavs, Shaq revealed “we just faced a team that everybody counted out all year. You can never count out Mr. Garnett or The Truth, because those two guys, when they get mad, they’re unstoppable.”
7. One of these days I’m going to stop linking to Paul Pierce’s uninteresting blog. The only reason I do now is that Pierce was cut from his high school’s varsity team during his sophomore year. You know what that means? I was a better high school player than Pierce. Or something like that.
8. Nate Robinson, you are a clown.
9. A breakdown of Ray Allen’s free throw form. According to CelticsBlog, he “came into camp weighing around 206 lbs. Said he ran more this offseason than he ever has and is in excellent shape.”
10. Shaq spent time with some locals in Salem. I’m awed by any athlete who’s so gracious in speaking to fans. I went to a dinner last night and Boston College football star Mark Herzlich was there, giving his time to anyone but himself. I swear he introduced himself to every person there, shook hands with everyone, signed footballs until his wrist hurt, and had absolutely zero time alone or with his girlfriend. Herzlich’s grace was beyond impressive, and he’s only a college player for BC! I’m sure Shaq’s fans are twenty times as relentless, every single day of the year. That Shaq still smiles and enjoys his fans is a testament to his character.
11. Surprise, surprise! Baron Davis is at least slightly out of shape.

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

(“When I get to the NBA, more people will cry.”)

From Kwame Brown to Adam Morrison. The latest draft bust the Celtics might be interested in wears a mustache, loves Halo and probably smokes four or five packs a day. (Alex Kennedy, HoopsWorld) Read more »

Not to be outdone by the Celtics’ meeting with Kwame Brown, the Los Angeles Clippers have signed Vinny Del Negro to be their next head coach. (Yahoo!)

Del Negro was fired by the Chicago Bulls in May after going 82-82 in two seasons and making two postseason appearances. Del Negro and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey were finalists for the job and had second interviews in Los Angeles on Monday.

Mike Dunleavy stepped down as the Clippers’ coach midway through last season and continued as general manager until he was eventually fired. Dunleavy’s assistant Kim Hughes finished the season as interim coach.

Del Negro made a good impression on Clippers owner Donald Sterling and other team officials when he interviewed last week.

What, was Rick Pitino not available?

Though there has been plenty of speculation that Mike Miller wants a deal worth more than the mid-level exception, Miller spoke his mind on the subject yesterday: The MLE is fine by him, as long as it’s in the right situation. (TrueHoop)

Miller has already sat down with the Heat, Clippers and Knicks, three teams with an abundance of salary cap space. Yet he also is amenable to signing for the midlevel exception that starts at $5.9 million in the first year, “because it means I’d be playing with a good team.”

That would include the Cavaliers if LeBron returns. Not only is Miller tight with James he’s also friends with Antawn Jamison, who was traded to Cleveland by the Wizards last season in the post-Gilbert’s Guns breakup of the team. Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant put in a call to Miller at the onset of the free agency period, and Cleveland remains a viable option for him.

The Celtics aren’t mentioned as a team Miller has sat down with, but his name has been thrown out there as a possibile Celt. It’s a good sign he’s willing to play for the mid-level, although it could end up biting the C’s in the ass if Miller signs with the Lakers, Cavs, or any other contender.